Simulating the Complex Cell Design of Trypanosoma brucei and Its Motility
Figure 5
Swimming velocity, rotational frequency, torsion, and end-to-end distance for varying flagellar attachment.
(a) Rescaled swimming velocity plotted versus the winding angle
of the helically attached flagellum. The snapshots show the model trypanosomes before applying the bending wave. The flagellum winds counter-clockwise around the cell body up to the angle
. (b) Rescaled rotational frequency of the cell body,
, plotted versus the winding angle
. The inset shows how the amplitude of the imposed flagellar bending wave increases from the broader end of the cell body to the tip by a factor
(red line), 1.25 (blue line), and 1 (black line). (c) Mean torsion
and mean curvature
(inset) of the cell's centerline plotted versus
. (d) Mean end-to-end distance of the cell body versus
. (e) Rescaled swimming velocity
plotted versus reduced distance
from the flagellar pocket, where the helical attachment begins. The snapshots show the model trypanosomes before deformation starts. The flagellum winds around the cell body always by
. (f) Range of end-to-end distances
of the cell body during motion plotted versus
. (g) Helical swimming trajectories of the posterior end indicated by red dots for
(left) and
(right). Snapshots of model trypanosomes during swimming are illustrated.